Knowledge engineering

Computer-based information retrieval has been a primary area of study in information processing for the past eighteen years. Today, our concern extends far beyond conventional information retrieval. One of the major problems in information processing is automated knowledge transfer and utilization, which is a key factor in productivity improvement. Knowledge engineering is a field of scientific endeavor in which the primary goal is to develop techniques and methodologies for achieving automated knowledge transfer and utilization. The objective of this paper is to stimulate research and development in this important field by clarifying the problem concepts and proposing some approaches. The paper concludes with a discussion of the MEDIKS, which is an operational computer system demonstrating certain aspects of automated knowledge transfer and utilization, and proposes the organization of a decision support system which is designed on the basis of knowledge engineering principles.